Category Archives: gradient

Estimating the gradient of curves – variants behaving differently

The screenshots below show two variants of the same question. I should start by emphasising that the question is only used formatively – it’s on the Maths for Science Practice Assignment. The two variants behave very differently and the reason … Continue reading

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Function or derivative?

The common student error in the question below is somewhat predictable – but I’m not sure why the students make the error that they do. Whilst 60.4% of responses are entirely correct, 21.7% select the three options that are actually the places where … Continue reading

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More errors in finding the gradient of a graph

Working yesterday on the chapter on Graphs and Gradient for the new edition of Maths for Science, I remembered the other student error that I have seen in iCMA questions. When asked to find the gradient of a graph like … Continue reading

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Errors in finding the gradient of a graph

Consider the simple question shown below: This question is generally well answered, but when students make a mistake, what do they do wrong?

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